ELCA Assembly to Consider $10 Million Fundraising Campaign for HIV and AIDS
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) needs to become more knowledgeable and active when it comes to HIV and AIDS, said Cynthia Halverson, executive director of the ELCA Foundation and Development Services. Halverson was among those who spoke to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly about the...
ELCA Assembly Begins Work on "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust"
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" -- a proposed social statement on human sexuality -- was formally introduced to the 1,045 voting members of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Aug. 18. The Rev. Peter Strommen introduced the statement which, if approved...
'Jubilee' Weekend Advances ELCA Book of Faith Initiative
ST. PAUL, Minn. (ELCA) -- Some 285 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) came from across the United States to the Book of Faith "Jubilee" weekend and joined in conversation about an initiative in the ELCA to read and discuss the Bible. Displays of resources supported worship,...
ELCA Assembly Host Synods Celebrate Diversity, Present Assembly with Gift
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The diversity of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is well-represented by the Minneapolis Area and Saint Paul Area Synods, said the Rev. Peter Rogness, bishop of the Saint Paul Area synod and the Rev. Craig E. Johnson, bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod. The churchwide...
ELCA Assembly Defeats Super-Majority Requirement
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Voting members of the biennial assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America turned back a motion that would have required a two-thirds majority for changes in policies related to the rostering of clergy, associates in ministry, diaconal ministers and deaconesses. The vote, with 57 percent in...
ELCA Assembly Asked, What’s ‘Our Witness?’ by Presiding Bishop
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), asked “What shall be our witness this week?” in his oral report to the ELCA’s eleventh biennial Churchwide Assembly here on Aug. 18. He suggested at least 15 ways the 4.6 million...
ELCA Assembly Endorses Lutheran Malaria Initiative
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Voting members at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Aug. 18 to support a program that seeks to eliminate malaria in south-Saharan Africa by 2015. The Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI), with a fund-raising goal of $75 million, was endorsed by a vote...
ELCA Assembly Learns of Decrease in 2010-2011 Income Expectations
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Budget proposals for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reflect a decrease in income expectations for 2010 and 2011. Voting members of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly received the first presentation of budget proposals for the denomination on Aug. 18. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative...
ELCA Council Prepares for the 2009 Churchwide Assembly
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- In anticipation of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) the ELCA Church Council, ELCA Conference of Bishops and vice presidents of the church's 65 synods received an overview from the denomination's presiding bishop and secretary. The council also received a financial...
ELCA Assembly Actions to be “Respectful,” Says Presiding Bishop
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) - A respectful discussion on sexuality will show the world that while Lutherans may not be “of one mind,” they can still be “united in faith and in our shared mission together,” said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)...
ELCA Assembly Opens with Worship
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- With jubilant and reflective song, heads bowed in prayer and expressions of peace and joy, more than 2,300 Lutherans opened the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with worship Aug. 17. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is...
Lutherans Explore Programs to Help Older Adults Stay at Home Longer
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Karen Koch's husband, Fred, has Alzheimer's disease and follows a strict daily routine. While medication helps to slow the progression of the disease for Fred, falling out of routine can mean trouble. "Fred can make his own breakfast and lunch, and I don't interfere. It's important for...
Finalists Named in ELCA Video Contest
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) serve God in many different ways. Members of Faith Lutheran Church, Everett, Wash., made more than 1,000 quilts to donate. Congregations in California have raised almost $350,000 and served 30,000 meals to people who are homeless. And one...
Lutheran youth raise $154,488 at ELCA Youth Gathering to help end hunger
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Youth across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are saying "no" to hunger and poverty through "Change the World: 2009 Lutheran Youth Challenge" to raise $1 million for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. In an effort to support the challenge, high-school-age Lutherans...
ELCA Synod Bishop Paul Stumme-Diers Accepts Call in Washington State
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul W. Stumme-Diers announced that he will resign as bishop of the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Sept. 30, and has accepted a call as pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church, Bainbridge Island, Wash. Stumme-Diers, 48, was first elected...
Lutherans commend, remain hopeful on recent immigration detention reform
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Global Refuge commended the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for taking steps to improve the immigration detention system and remains "hopeful" that such comprehensive reform continues. LIRS is one of the nation's leading agencies in welcoming and advocating for...
ELCA Clergy Support Gay, Lesbian Rights, Ordination, Survey Says
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Results of a national survey show that a majority of clergy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- 54 percent -- support ordination "with no special requirements" for people who are gay or lesbian, according to an Aug. 5 news release. The Clergy Voices Survey...
Lutheran Services in America's Jill Schumann named in The NonProfit Times
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service Jill A. Schumann, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), Baltimore, has been named in The NonProfit Times' 2009 "Power and Influence Top 50." Schumann is one of few leaders included in the list for seven consecutive years, according to a...
ELCA Presiding Bishop, Other Leaders Criticize Palestinian Evictions
WASHINGTON (ELCA) - In an Aug. 7 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and 17 other U.S. religious leaders expressed "grave concern about the eviction of 50 Palestinians from their homes." They also urged the...
Lutherans Take Action on Social Justice Issues
WASHINGTON (ELCA) - Lutheran youth and adults took action on a number of social justice issues at the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), July 22-26 in New Orleans. By writing to members of the U.S. Congress and President Obama, they advocated against injustices concerning...
